An improved tilt switch

ABSTRACT

An improved tilt switch having a plurality of mercury switches disposed about a housing and mounted at an angle with respect to the level or horizontal, and having a resilient adjusting means for coupling the housing to a member whose tilt is to be measured.

United States Patent Michael Brian Birmingham, Mich. 7,496

Feb. 2, 1970 May 25, I971 Inventor AN IMPROVED TILT SWITCH 6 Claims, 2 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl Int. Cl. Field of Search 200/61 The United States of America as represented HOlh 35/02 l52, 52, 52 (GY), 52 (Q), 153.1, 33.1; 340/282; I 33/206.5 (L), 214, 207

Primary Examiner-Robert K. Schaefer Assistant Examiner-M. Ginsburg Att0rneysRichard J. Miller and R. S. Sciascia ABSTRACT: An improved tilt switch having a plurality of mercu'ry switches disposed about a housing and mounted at an angle with respect to the level resilient adjusting means for member whose tilt is to be measured.

\1 4 l aoq 31-- e 5o! 1 3 1 *1 44 4 9 20 or horizontal, and having a coupling the housing to a AN IMPROVED TILT SWITCH The problem of developing tilt switches is old, many years of technology and development stands behind this area. Mercury switches are an old device for measuring tilt. Improvements in this field are not necessarily major steps in advancement in the art but rather are the result of a continuous process evolution in which the application of good engineering design and ingenuity result in successful inventions to advance the art.

Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved tilt switch for measuring the tilt of a member in a variety of directions.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide an improved tilt switch having a housing member with an aperture extending substantially therethrough, a plurality of adjustable support members for coupling the housing device to the members whose tilt is to be measured, the housing having an end whose angle is something other than 90 with respect to the vertical axis of the housing member and the plurality of mercury switches coupled to the surface having the angle.

It is yet a further object of this invention to provide an improved tilt switchfor mounting to a device to determine its degree of tilt, comprising: a housing having a first vertical axis, a plurality of adjustable support members for mounting the housing to the device, a leveling member mounted to housing to level the tilt switch with respect to a first position, a plurality of mercury switches disposed about the housing and mounted thereto at a predetermined angle with respect to the first axis; and an electrical circuit coupled to plurality of switches so that tilting of the member from first position to a second position closes one or more of the mercury switches giving an indication of the degree and direction of the tilt.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved tilt switch with the above structure wherein there are three adjustable support members.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an improved tilt switch of the foresaid construction wherein there are provided first and second end members wherein first end member is planar and substantially normal to the first axis and the second end member has a substantially conical shape, and the mercury switches are mounted thereon.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved tilt switch of the construction wherein the individual mercury switches have individual axes intersecting the vertical axis wherein the individual mercury switches measure tilt in different directions.

Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a top view of one embodiment of the tilt switch; and

FIG. 2 is a sectional view along lines 2-2 in FIG. 1.

As shown the FIGS. the tilt switch is coupled to a plate 10 which is coupled to a device whose tilt is to be measured. A housing 11 is provided and has a major vertical axis 12. The axis, in the embodiment shown, extends through the housing down the center of an aperture, designated as 13. A plurality of support members 14, 15 and 16 are shown for coupling housing 11 to member 10. This is accomplished by a bolt 17 on a threaded portion on a member 18 and a washer 19 in conjunction with a spring under compression 20. The device 21 is a leveling device, sometimes designated as a bulls-eye" level at which would be utilized to establish the initial level of the housing in the nontilt position.

A'top plate 22 is affixed by a series of setscrews 23, 24 and 25 to hold the level 21 in aperture 13 against the lip 26 in aperture 13. Member 11 has an end portion 30 which is beveled or at an angle with respect to the axis 12 which is something other than or 90. This is in effect conical in shape. In the embodiment shown the angle 30a is some or A plurality of mercury switches 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 and 38 are shown mounted on the end portion 30 of housing 11. Each mercury switch has a longitudinal axis 40 which would be substantially parallel to line ,41 on or in essence is mounted at the angle 30a. These switches are adjustably mounted so that they can all be open or closed in the rest or nontilt position depending upon the embodiment of the invention utilized. The mercury switch 31 is shown coupled through a pair of wires 44, 45 through the connector ring 47 to an electrical circuit designated by the box 48. It is to be understood that each individual mercury switch would be so coupled to circuit 48. Wire 49 goes up through an aperture in the housing 50 and down through the portion 51, shown in the cutout section 52.

In operation the tilt switch would be affixed to the member 10 and the device leveled through level 21 to develop, in the embodiment shown, a series of open circuits through the individual mercury switches. Electrical circuit 48 would indicate a level position. Should the device tilt in any direction one or more of the mercury switches would close, causing an indication at 48 to be displayed. Cable 60 coupled to device 61, that is in turn coupled to plate 10, could be actuated and the device returned to the level position.

By selectively wiring the individual mercury switches to eight indicating devices the angle of tilt may be reported on device 48. Assume that the plate 10 tilted down to the left in FIG. 2, mercury switch 31 would close and if the tilt was not very major, switches 32 and 38 would not close. An indication of the closure of the switch 31 would be recorded on device 48 and selectively the device 61 could be actuated to restore device 10 to the level position.

If the tilt were to be in a direction downward with respect to the plane of the paper, rotating about an axis, normal to line 70, then mercury switches 35, 36 would be actuated, that is closed, and this closure would be recorded in circuit 48. Again, device 61 could be actuated to restore plate 10 to a level position.

Many other embodiments of the invention are possible since in essence three mercury switches disposed about the axis 12 could be used to indicated a tilt position. Under certain circumstances two mercury switches mounted at with respect to each other, that is 90 with respect to each other, for example, mercury switches 31 and 33are 90. In the embodiment shown eight were selected to improve the sensitivity of the device.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

I claim:

1. An improved tilt switch for mounting to a device having coupling means to determine its degree of tilt, comprising:

a. a housing having a first vertical axis;

b. a plurality of adjustable support members connected to said housing for adjustably mounting said housing to said coupling means of said device to be leveled;

c. a level indicating member mounted to said housing to indicate a level position of said tilt switch with respect to a first position;

. a plurality of mercury switches disposed about said housing and mounted thereto at a predetermined angle with respect to said first axis; and

e. an electrical circuit coupled to said plurality of switches so that tilting of said housing from said first position to a second position closes one or more of said mercury switches giving an indication of the degree and direction of the tilt.

2. The tilt switch of claim 1 wherein said plurality of adjustable support members includes at least three of said members for mounting said housing to said coupling means to at least three points.

3. The improved tilt switch of claim 2 wherein said housing has first and second end portions said first end portion being substantially normal to said first axis and said second end por- 5. The tilt switch of claim 4 wherein said value of said angle.

is substantially 6. The tilt switch of claim 3 wherein there are eight mercury switches which individually have a longitudinal axisQsaid longitudinal axes each being spaced approximately 45 about said conical shaped second end portion. 

1. An improved tilt switch for mounting to a device having coupling means to determine its degree of tilt, comprising: a. a housing having a first vertical axis; b. a plurality of adjustable support meMbers connected to said housing for adjustably mounting said housing to said coupling means of said device to be leveled; c. a level indicating member mounted to said housing to indicate a level position of said tilt switch with respect to a first position; d. a plurality of mercury switches disposed about said housing and mounted thereto at a predetermined angle with respect to said first axis; and e. an electrical circuit coupled to said plurality of switches so that tilting of said housing from said first position to a second position closes one or more of said mercury switches giving an indication of the degree and direction of the tilt.
 2. The tilt switch of claim 1 wherein said plurality of adjustable support members includes at least three of said members for mounting said housing to said coupling means to at least three points.
 3. The improved tilt switch of claim 2 wherein said housing has first and second end portions said first end portion being substantially normal to said first axis and said second end portion having a substantially conical shape, said plurality of mercury switches being mounted on said second end portion.
 4. The tilt switch of claim 3 wherein said mercury switches individually have a longitudinal axis, said longitudinal axis each intercepting said vertical axis, said individual longitudinal axes each having an angle therebetween of a given amount.
 5. The tilt switch of claim 4 wherein said value of said angle is substantially
 90. 6. The tilt switch of claim 3 wherein there are eight mercury switches which individually have a longitudinal axis, said longitudinal axes each being spaced approximately 45* about said conical shaped second end portion. 